RoadVitals

2006 Harley-Davidson XL883C

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Feb 11, 2017
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2006 Harley-Davidson XL883C, most frequently naming the engine category. 7 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine2100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Engine
Filed Feb 11, 2017

I BOUGHT THIS 3/28/2006 AND MY AIR CLEANER HAS OIL COMING OUT ONTO THE EXHAUST AND MYSELF AS WELL AS ANYWHERE BEHIND THE AIRCLEANER ON DOWN TO SOME DEGREE. I TOOK IT TO A HARLEY DEALER IN IOWA SINCE I WAS A WAYS FROM MY PURCHASE DEALER. THEY SAID TO KEEP AN EYE ON IT TO SEE IF IT WILL STOP. I WAS UPSET AND DID NOT GO BACK. WHY DO THEY THINK I WAS THERE JUST TO SAY HI,UNBELIEVABLE. I HAVE SEEN WAYS TO DO DIVERT THE OIL. AT XL FORUM BUT IT IS NOT FIXING THE PROBLEM IT IS JUST A PATCH AT BEST. SOME SAY RUN LESS OIL. BUT IT STILL BOILS DOWN TO THE BAD COMPONET. I HAVE BEEN STUING OVER THIS FOR A LONG TIME AND FINALLY HAD TO SAY SOMETHING. AT ALMOST 60 YRS OLD I JUST NEED TO GET THIS OFF MY CHEST AND SEE IF SOMEONE WILL READ THIS AND GET AHOLD OF ME AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM. WE WILL SEE. THIS HAPPENS WHILE RIDING THE BIKE AND SETTING AS LONG AS THE BIKE IS RUNNING. I AM JUST TIRED OF THE OIL GETTING ALL OVER MY CLOTHES AND HAVING TO CLEAN UP THE OIL SO NO ONE SAYS HAY IT'S A HARLEY WHAT DO YOU EXPECT. LIKE THE OLD SCHOOL BIKES. I HOPE OTHERS WILL SEE THIS AND TELL US ALL THAT THERE;S IS DOING IT TOO. ON THE PLUS SIDE IT RUNS HARD SOUNDS GREAT WITH CUSTOM EXHAUST NOT STRAIGHT PIPES. LOOKS GREAT PEARL BLACK YOU CAN;T GO WRONG WITH PEARL PAINT. I LOVE THE STANCE AND IT GIVES ME PLEASURE ON THE RODE MINUS THE OIL THING, WITHOUT THE OIL PROBLEM I WOULD SAY IT IS A PERFECT RIDE POWER LOOKS AND JUST PLAIN OLD FUN. SO SOMEONE PLEASE GET AHOLD OF ME TO GET THIS PERFECT THANKS...

NHTSA ID
10954026
Incident
Apr 9, 2006
Mileage
200 mi
Engine
Filed Aug 25, 2007

WE PURCHASED A 2006 XLH SPORTSTER CUSTOM IN MAY OF 2006. RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE DOWN THE ROAD, WE NOTICED OIL ON MY HUSBAND'S PANT LEG. WE LATER CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT OUR PURCHASING STORE. I THEN TOLD THE MECHANIC THAT OUR MOTORCYCLE WAS LEAKING OIL FROM THE AIR FILTER. BEFORE TELLING HIM WHAT MODEL IT WAS, HE SAID, "IS IT A 2006 SPORTSTER?" HE THEN TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE HAVING A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THE 2006 SPORTSTERS' ROCKER ARM AND THEY WERE REPLACING THEM WITH THE 2007 ROCKER ARMS. THEY CALLED BACK THREE WEEKS LATER AFTER SUPPOSEDLY WAITING FOR THE PARTS FROM HARLEY DAVIDSON TO TELL US THAT HARLEY WOULD HAVE TO TEST THE BIKE WITH THE FACTORY PIPES ON BEFORE THEY WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. NOW, IF ALL OF THE 2006 SPORTSTERS HAVE HAD THAT PROBLEM, THEN WHY ARE THEY QUESTIONING REPAIRING OUR SPORTSTER? *TR

NHTSA ID
10200753
Incident
Jul 20, 2007
Mileage
2,800 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

M1684

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SERVICE BULLETIN M1684: MARKET SPECIFIC BATTERY INTRODUCTION. PURPOSE: Initial Release. This bulletin informs dealers of the availability of new batteries for new Original Equipment (OE) vehicle production and in the Parts and Accessories (P&A) catalog. Availability of the new Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries will vary by market and will be transitioning over the next few months. NOTE: The ring terminal screws are not compatible between Leoch and East Penn batteries. The new batteries will include new ring terminal screws, which must be used. The ring terminal screws from the old battery need to be discarded.

M1555

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SERVICE BULLETIN M1555 (REV E): BATTERY WARRANTY GUIDELINES. PURPOSE: Revision E. Added: Added procedures for the DCA-8000 E Battery Tester.* Updated: All sections. This bulletin informs the dealership network that Harley-Davidson has provided guidelines for battery warranty.

M1490

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 24.8.8): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II). DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). Version 24.8.8. Release Date: Week of August 5, 2024. New Features for Harley-Davidson vehicles: Advanced Module Replace for 2021 and later Revolution Max; 2023 and later CVO Touring; and 2024 Street Glide (FLHX), Road Glide (FLTRX). New Features for LiveWire vehicles: Updated calibrations for 2024 S2DM EV1/ EV6; 2024 S2MH EV1; and 2024 S2DM, S2MH. Changes: Added Hand Control Module (HCM) (Part No. 71500522A and 71500536A) for reflash support.

PAB1158

ENGINE; POWER TRAIN

GENUINE MOTOR PARTS AND MOTOR ACCESSORIES BULLETIN PAB1158: OIL FILTER PACKAGING AND CASE QUANTITY UPDATE. PURPOSE: To inform dealerships that Harley-Davidson has made updates to oil filters including new part numbers, packaging design, and bulk case quantity changes.

M1490

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SERVICE BULLETIN M1490 (V 24.6.4): DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II - UPDATES AND RELEASE NOTES. PURPOSE: Revision. This bulletin informs dealers that Harley-Davidson has made a software update to Digital Technician II (DT II). DIGITAL TECHNICIAN II (PART NUMBER: HD-48650). Version 24.6.4. Release Date: Week of May 1, 2024. New Features for LiveWire S2DM and S2MH, 2024 Revolution® Max, and 2024 Touring.

PAB1146

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

GENUINE MOTOR PARTS AND MOTOR ACCESSORIES BULLETIN PAB1146: 68193-95 BULB WEDGE, FENDER TIP LAMP. Purpose: To inform dealers of an issue with the bulb wire terminals not being to specification. The light bulbs were used in numerous front and rear fender tip light assemblies for domestic and international applications.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Harley-Davidson XL883C by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2010000—
2009000—
2008000—
2007010—
2006Viewing200—
2005300—
2004300—
2003010—
2002000—
2001000—
2000100—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.